Chapter 290
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 290.
In a forest frozen solid due to abnormal weather, there was a group of hunters.
Hunters who had blocked off the entire forest to prevent anyone from entering and were guarding the gate that had appeared within.
They were members of the Mikazuki Guild.
"It's damn cold. I just can't get used to this damn countryside."
"Let’s finish this quickly and return to Tokyo."
The hunters guarded the gate, while a man and woman, who appeared to be leading them, conversed.
A man with a trained, muscular body and a serious demeanor, and a woman with short hair and sharp, cat-like features.
Koshiro and Miyuki.
"How long has it been since Nagito and his subordinates entered the gate?"
"About nine hours. By now, they should be moving according to plan."
"Hoo, there’s nothing we can do."
At first glance, their tone seemed to express concern for Nagito, who had entered the gate.
But the reality was different.
"Nagito… we have to kill him for the young master to survive. No matter what."
"And for us to live too."
"Yeah, that’s right…"
They weren’t praying for Nagito’s safety. Rather, they hoped he would die inside the gate.
The reason was simple.
The guild members gathered here were those who followed Mikazuki’s second son.
"I regret it. We’ve done too many dirty things. If Nagito becomes guild master, he won’t let us off."
"Prison would be just the place for us."
"Prison? Huh, we’d be lucky if we just lost our hunter licenses."
Miyuki nodded.
That was the biggest reason they followed the second son instead of Nagito.
How many hunter guilds in the world could truly be called clean? But they had done far too much under the second son’s orders.
And the extent of it was severe.
"Anyway, this is our only option. Keep a close watch on the gate—there’s a chance Nagito might come back alive."
The guild members nodded.
Someone exhaled nervously, their breath visible in the cold air.
One of the guild members, staring blankly at that breath, suddenly sensed something strange.
"Hey, doesn’t something feel off?"
"……."
Koshiro glanced around.
There was no noticeable change in the forest. But there was one odd thing.
"This fog…"
A thick fog was rising all around them. At first, they thought it was just snow blowing in the wind.
But it wasn’t.
The fog was growing denser.
"Is it a monster? Stay alert! There’s something nearby…"
The moment Koshiro tried to give orders to the others, a sound reached his ears.
The sound of something cutting through the wind.
He looked up.
"There’s…"
It was an arrow.
An arrow, fired from an unknown location, arced through the air like a howitzer shell.
Then, after pausing midair for a brief moment, it aimed straight at Koshiro.
"…!"
Multiple shockwaves erupted.
The arrow surged forward, accompanied by violent shockwaves strong enough to shake the surroundings.
At a speed impossible to perceive with the eye, it flew straight toward Koshiro’s heart.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed, and he looked down at his chest.
"Huh, ugh…!"
What he saw was a gaping hole in his chest, as if he’d been hit by a cannonball.
Koshiro’s hand trembled.
He had thought to dodge. But the arrow was faster than his thoughts.
Literally, there had been no time to react.
"Ko—Koshiro!"
Miyuki screamed.
Koshiro, his heart pierced, shuddered violently before collapsing.
"Wh-what the hell? Where did that come from?!"
"Enemies!"
The guild members shouted urgently, wary of an unseen foe.
As if mocking them, the fog thickened.
The increasingly dense fog made it difficult to even discern their surroundings.
"Gyaaah!"
"…!"
From within the fog, a chilling scream echoed, accompanied by the sound of slicing.
Miyuki trembled.
Monsters? Villains? Something was wrong. Someone was targeting them.
‘Wh-who is it?’
And they were doing so methodically, with the intent to kill every last one of them here.
Miyuki raised her spear. But the tip of that spear was shaking uncontrollably.
"That’s a nice spear you’ve got."
"Who… gah!"
A voice came from beyond the fog.
Miyuki immediately thrust her spear, but the attack didn’t connect.
No—it never had a chance to.
—Crack!
"My—my spear!"
The spear snapped.
Miyuki was stunned. She had no choice but to be. An A-rank spear had broken like a wooden stick.
She hurriedly tried to draw another weapon, but it was already too late.
"Aaah!"
"Leave this one alive. We’ll need someone to explain the situation."
"Understood, Family head."
Her consciousness rapidly faded.
As the distant voice mentioned the title ‘Family head,’ Miyuki felt a pang of doubt before losing consciousness.
"Kyaaah!"
"Wh-where is it…?!"
Screams erupted from all directions.
Endless flashes of light flickered within the dense fog.
Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, the enemies fell one after another, unable to react.
"It’ll take some time to finish them all. Baek Jun-kyung is handling the ones trying to flee."
"We can’t just wait around."
Yoo Baek-jun looked at the gate.
Inside, the traitors were likely already beginning their operation.
There was no time to waste.
"Leave this to Baek Jun-kyung. Instructor Han Seong-ah, follow me."
"Yes, I’ll relay the order."
"No, I doubt you’ll need to…"
Far from the forest, there was a lone hill. As Yoo Baek-jun glanced at it, something flashed momentarily.
Baek Jun-kyung.
‘Sniper fire… incredibly useful.’
Picking off troublesome enemies in advance made the job much easier.
Yoo Baek-jun turned away.
"Let’s go in."
"Yes, Family head."
Time to settle the debt.
As Yoo Baek-jun stepped into the gate, he suddenly tilted his head in thought.
‘This situation… feels oddly familiar, like I’ve seen it somewhere before…’
The thought struck him out of nowhere.
* * *
Snow was falling.
Deep in the frozen wilderness of night, a man ran aimlessly across the icy tundra.
The leather armor he wore was in tatters, his body covered in wounds.
"Hah, haah!"
His name was Nagito.
The successor of the Mikazuki Guild, a man expected to become the next guild master.
Now, he was being hunted.
‘These traitors…!’
By none other than traitors.
They had come together to conquer the gate, but their goal wasn’t the gate.
It was to kill Nagito.
"Dammit!"
It was the worst possible situation.
Exhausted from tackling an A+-rank gate, the timing was perfect for the traitors to strike.
—Uwaaah!
—Na-Nagito! Over here!
Even now, their screams echoed in his ears.
The voices of those who had been betrayed and slaughtered by comrades they trusted.
And the sight of those who sacrificed themselves to save Nagito.
"Toma…!"
There was no need to wonder who had orchestrated this betrayal.
His younger brother, Toma.
The one who stood to gain the most if Nagito died in the gate.
‘Was it all a lie?’
When the current Mikazuki guild master—his mother—had chosen Nagito as successor,
Nagito had spoken with Toma.
In a conversation that lasted all night, Toma had agreed that Nagito should be the next guild master.
—I lack the qualities to be a guild master. Supporting you is the role that suits me best.
—I promise, brother. I’ll stand by your side and support you to the end…
All of it had been a lie.
The promises made that day, the words about how the elder brother should rightfully take the position of guild master.
‘The traitors are all Toma’s followers. Did he plan to kill me and become guild master from the very beginning?!’
Nagito gritted his teeth.
Fury surged within him—at Toma’s betrayal, and at his own naivety for believing those words.
"He’s here!"
"I’ve used a tracking skill. We’ll find him soon. Surround the area!"
Shouts came from not far away.
Badly injured, Nagito’s speed was too slow to outrun his pursuers.
They must have closed the gap while he was weakened.
‘I don’t have the strength to run any further.’
His body had reached its limit.
Nagito gave up on fleeing and hid behind a nearby tree.
The enemies approached.
"Nagito! Can you hear me?"
The man at the forefront, Takuro, sneered as he called out.
"We already know you’re here! Why not give up and come out? Huh? Otherwise…"
"……"
Nagito tried to ignore him.
But Takuro’s next move made that impossible.
"Your subordinates will all die."
From behind Takuro, badly wounded men were dragged forward.
Nagito’s comrades, ambushed by the traitors. His eyes widened.
Takuro listened carefully for a response. But when Nagito showed no sign of emerging,
"Don’t do it! Don’t come out—!"
"Think I’m lying? Then let me show you. Like this!"
A sickening slash.
Takuro swung his sword, and a torrent of blood stained the snowy field.
A headless corpse crumpled to the ground.
"Guh, ugh…!"
Nagito clenched his teeth.
Coming out now would be meaningless. They would kill him, and his subordinates would still be slaughtered.
There was no way they’d leave witnesses alive.
"Still not coming out? Huh?!"
"We’re using tracking skills. We’ll find you soon."
There was no way out. Could he survive this? No hope was in sight.
Then at the very least, he’d take one of them down.
The enemies using tracking skills combed the area, drawing closer.
The distance narrowed.
—Grip!
Nagito tightened his grip on his sword.
He had trained in swordsmanship for many years as a child in the Sword Saint family.
He was confident in his skill.
With that swordsmanship, he could take at least five of them down with him.
"……"
Nagito waited patiently.
And when the enemies using tracking skills were right upon him—
"Hup!"
"Guh—!"
He unleashed the Heavenly Destruction Sword Technique.
A flash-like sword strike cleanly beheaded two enemies in an instant.
He immediately followed up with other skills, chaining his attacks.
"Gah!"
"Uwaah! Help me!"
Even cornered, Nagito was an exceptional hunter, one who ranked among Japan’s best.
The traitors recoiled at his skill, and those who didn’t were cut down.
"Haha! So that’s where you were!"
"You arrogant bastard!"
Takuro didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his allies’ deaths.
If anything, he was delighted that Nagito had revealed himself.
Nagito spat and shoved aside the corpses of the fallen enemies.
"You pieces of trash. What did Toma promise you? What was so great that you’d betray and kill your comrades?"
"No, no. That’s not why we’re doing this."
Takuro smirked and gestured.
A signal that the target had been found. The traitors swiftly surrounded Nagito.
"If you become guild master, we die. This is a matter of survival."
"……"
Takuro grinned viciously.
Nagito didn’t respond. He just glared.
"You’re dying here."
Takuro strode toward Nagito, gauntlets on both fists.
His steps were leisurely.
"And Toma becomes guild master. Simple, right?"
Nagito tightened his grip on his sword.
His wounds had worsened from the earlier movement, and he had almost no magical power left.
There was no way to fight Takuro.
‘At the very least, I’ll leave a mark.’
Knowing he stood no chance, Nagito still took his stance.
Takuro laughed at him.
The distance closed.
"Now die!"
The moment Takuro roared and charged, a wind blew.
And with it, a chilling cold.
‘Wind?’
A freezing gust swept through the area, carrying an icy bite.
Soon, that wind transformed into a raging blizzard, engulfing Takuro as he lunged at Nagito.
"Guh!"
Just a blizzard.
He tried to shrug it off, but couldn’t.
"Hah, haaah!"
A terrifying cold, as if his body would freeze solid, enveloped him.
Even his cold-resistant gear couldn’t withstand it, freezing over instantly.
His skin, his flesh—everything was rapidly freezing under the blizzard’s assault.
"Th-this is…!"
This wasn’t an ordinary blizzard.
Takuro trembled as he glared at Nagito. Was this his doing?
But Nagito looked just as stunned. It wasn’t him.
Then who—?
"…!"
Then, Takuro saw it.
Amid the swirling snow.
The figure of a man appearing like a ghost behind Nagito.
"Feels like déjà vu."
It was Yoo Baek-jun.